w/ Chris Parks

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democrats in the early presidential contest states of Iowa and Nevada will be able to cast their votes over the telephone instead of showing up at their states’ traditional neighborhood caucus meetings next February, according to plans unveiled by the state parties.

The tele-caucus systems, the result of a mandate from the Democratic National Committee, are aimed at opening the local-level political gatherings to more people, especially evening shift-workers and people with disabilities, whom critics of the caucuses have long said are blocked from the process.

The changes are expected to boost voter participation across the board, presenting a new opportunity for the Democratic Party’s 2020 candidates to drive up support in the crucial early voting states.

“This is a no-excuse option” for participation, said Shelby Wiltz, the Nevada Democrats’ caucus director.

Party officials don’t have an estimate of how many voters will take advantage of the call-in option. But in Iowa, some recent polls show as many as 20% of Democrats will participate virtually.

In Nevada, most voters tend to cast ballots early during regular elections, and party officials expect many will take advantage of the early presidential vote.

While rolling out a new voting system holds the promise of more voter participation, it also comes with potential risk for confusion or technical troubles. But the party is moving forward to try and address long-standing criticism that the caucuses are exclusionary and favor some candidates over others.

The Iowa caucuses, a series of party-run, local-level organizing meetings that adopted a presidential preference element more than 50 years ago, have come under increasing criticism in the past decade for their fixed evening time and place. Such rules effectively barred participation in the first-in-the-country nominating contest, for instance, for parents unable to find child care or older voters hesitant to venture out in the dead of winter.

Hillary Clinton and her supporters complained that Iowa’s process “disenfranchised” those unable to attend after she finished a disappointing third place in the 2008 caucuses.

In 2016, backers of Sen. Bernie Sanders cried foul over the Iowa results when Clinton won a razor-thin margin, 49.9% to 49.6%, despite some irregularities in reporting results. The dispute, replicated in part in Nevada, was a key factor in the push from groups on the left to overhaul the nominating process heading into 2020.

Nevada, the third state in the Democrats’ early contest sequence, has only been using caucuses for a decade, but has faced some of the same participation challenges, especially among Las Vegas casino workers who have shifts during the Saturday caucus meetings.

By opting for a dial-in program, the systems can reach people in Iowa’s and Nevada’s vast rural stretches where broadband internet coverage may be spotty. Iowa since 2014 has offered a smaller-scale tele-caucus, allowing out-of-state members of the military and Iowans living abroad to call in to live neighborhood caucus meetings and participate over the phone.

“One, we are a rural state. And let’s be honest, outside of Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada is a rural state. Everyone is connected by phone,” Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price said.

The DNC’s mandate has been a challenge for party operatives who sought to maintain security while also maintaining the spirit of the caucuses, which are chiefly local, party-building activities aimed at electing delegates to party conventions. Officials say by avoiding an internet-based program, they are reducing the risk of hacking, a key concern in an era of renewed concern about election tampering.

While Nevada Democrats said accessibility, not security, drove them to opt for a phone-in system, Iowa Democrats said they felt a lower-tech option was safer.

“With this system, it’s easier than making sure thousands of computers across the state are not filled with malware and not being hacked,” Price said.
Yet officials acknowledge that relying on phone systems does raise security concerns.

“Are they unhackable? Certainly not,” said Jeremy Epstein, a voting systems expert with ACM, the largest international association of computer science professionals. “None of these technologies are really bullet proof.”

The state parties presented their plans late last month to the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee. Committee members applauded the work and gave conditional approval but asked for more information about the security and functionality of the systems.

“We are working with every state party that is integrating these tools so they can make their voting process secure and successful. We look forward to working with Democrats in these states to address the committee’s questions,” DNC spokesman David Bergstein said in a statement.

Both state parties plan to require Democratic voters to register online in advance of their virtual caucus, verifying their identity with a “multi-factor authentication.” Voters will receive a PIN that they’ll have to enter when they call in to participate.

Iowans who register on time will have six times to choose from to participate by phone, including the in-person caucus night, Feb. 3. Nevadans who register for the virtual caucus can participate on Feb. 16 or 17. Unlike Iowa, Nevada is also offering three days of in-person early caucusing to give people more options.

Wiltz said security experts with the DNC will be vetting the systems later this year to test for vulnerabilities to breaches or hacking.

“This isn’t something that we’re taking lightly. We understand our responsibility,” Wiltz said.

SHAUN ALLEN AKERS

A Sidney man was arrested on Saturday on Domestic Abuse charges after leaving the scene of a disturbance on Thursday. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports that 41-year-old Shaun Allen Akers of Sidney was arrested on charges of Domestic Abuse 3rd or subsequent offense and Interference with Official Acts.

Deputies first received a report of a domestic disturbance at a home in Sidney on July 4th. When Deputies arrived on scene they found the suspect (Akers) had left the area prior to their arrival. He returned to the area on Saturday. After searching the home they found Akers hiding under a mattress. He was taken to the Fremont County Jail and held on $5,000 bond. Other charges are pending in the case.

IOWA CITY –The Iowa Department of Corrections reports 59-year old Larry Gene Nugent, who had been serving a 5-year maximum sentence out of Woodbury County for the crime of Operating Vehicle While Intoxicated, was pronounced dead due to natural causes at 11:30 p.m. Saturday, July 6, 2019. He died at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinic due to chronic illness. Nugent His sentence began on September 5, 2018.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A presidential campaign event focused on Native American issues is being planned in Sioux City, Iowa, next month. Several groups are working together to plan the forum on Aug. 19 and Aug. 20.

O.J. Semans of the voting rights group Four Directions says it would be a mistake for candidates to ignore Native American voters. The Sioux City Journal reports that organizers are working to get firm commitments from candidates to attend.

The event is named in honor of activist Frank LaMere, who died last month after battling cancer. He was a Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska member who fought for a variety of causes. He lived in South Sioux City, Nebraska.

Agents and crime scene personnel with the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) are investigating an early (Sunday) morning shooting in the Decatur County City of Leon. At around at 3:08 a.m., an officer with the Leon Police Department conducted a traffic stop in the 300 block of NW 3rd Street.

During the traffic stop, the driver of the vehicle, a male in is 50’s, sprayed the Leon officer with a chemical agent. In response, the officer fired his weapon, striking the driver. The driver was provided medical attention at the scene. He was then airlifted to Des Moines hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

The Leon officer is on paid administrative leave. The name of the involved officer nor the name of the driver are being released at this time. Authorities say additional information will be released as appropriate.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

IDA GROVE, Iowa (AP) — A man Iowa authorities say was intoxicated when his vehicle crashed into another, killing three people, now faces felony charges. The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reports that 21-year-old Ryan Daniel Childers, of Odebolt, was charged last week with three counts of vehicular homicide when driving under the influence and one count of serious injury by vehicle. Authorities say Childers was driving a pickup truck the wrong way on Highway 59 when he hit a car head-on, killing three men in it.

ROCK FALLS, Iowa (AP) — The remains of a missing Illinois man have been found in a northern Iowa campground pond. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that the body of 48-year-old Larry Eugene Howlett, of Sandwich, Illinois, was found Friday evening in the Camp of the Woods pond at Rock Falls. The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office say Howlett was last seen the night of June 1 near his camper along the Shell Rock River.

IOWA FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a north-central Iowa couple have been killed in a crash at an intersection near Iowa Falls. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that 63-year-old Kevin Barz and his wife, 49-year-old Julia Barz, of Hampton, were pronounced dead at the scene of the Friday night crash at the intersection of U.S. Highway 65 and a county road. Three teens in a pickup truck that collided with the Barz’s vehicle were injured.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Sioux City woman charged with vehicular homicide in Nebraska has pleaded not guilty to driving drunk in Sioux City the same night as the traffic fatality. The Sioux City Journal reports that 19-year-old Maria Gonzalez-Diego entered a written plea Friday to second-offense operating while intoxicated and driving while her license was revoked. In northeastern Nebraska’s Dakota County, Gonzalez-Diego is charged in the June 24 death of 62-year-old Antonia Lopez De Ramirez.

The Iowa DNR is investigating three manure discharges caused by the recent heavy rainfall in northwestern Iowa.

The DNR responded to Gaylon Rozeboom Feedlot near Rock Rapids, where the effluent basin is overflowing and reaching a nearby unnamed tributary of Mud Creek, which is out of its banks due to the excessive rainfall. The owner has been land applying manure, but the ground is saturated from the rain and the applied manure is running off into the same flooded unnamed tributary in a different location.  Water samples have been collected by the DNR. In the meantime, the owner will turn the pumps on and off more frequently to minimize the discharge.

The DNR responded to Remmerde Farms near Rock Valley, where the effluent basin is overflowing and reached an unnamed tributary of Dry Creek. The owner will pump as often as possible to try to eliminate the discharge.

And, DNR staff observed a discharge at Van Essen Feedlot in Rock Valley. The manure discharge is coming from a leaking pipe near the effluent basin. DNR staff is working with the owner to determine the cause of the discharge and to get it stopped. The manure discharge was entering an unnamed tributary of Dry Creek.

All facilities are covered by NPDES discharge permits; however, the DNR will consider enforcement action if appropriate. No fish kills were reported or observed from these discharges.

IOWA FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a north-central Iowa couple have been killed in a crash at an intersection near Iowa Falls. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that 63-year-old Kevin Barz and his wife, 49-year-old Julia Barz, of Hampton, were pronounced dead at the scene of the Friday night crash at the intersection of U.S. Highway 65 and a county road.

Investigators say Kevin Barz was driving a sport utility vehicle on the county road and failed to stop at the intersection. The Barz’s SUV was hit by a pickup truck driven by a 16-year-old boy. The boy and two other teens in the truck were injured and taken to an Iowa Falls hospital for treatment.

ROCK FALLS, Iowa (AP) — The remains of a missing Illinois man have been found in a northern Iowa campground pond. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that the body of 48-year-old Larry Eugene Howlett, of Sandwich, Illinois, was found Friday evening in the Camp of the Woods pond at Rock Falls.

The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office say Howlett was last seen the night of June 1 near his camper along the Shell Rock River. The sheriff’s office says items located with the remains helped identify Howlett. An autopsy has been ordered.

Howlett’s death remains under investigation.